AN: Sorry for the long delay guys, I was in the process of moving. I have a few days to myself now so hopefully I will be able to get more done. As always thanks for reading and reviewing, you guys are awesome.
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon, Sony entertainment does, I'm just playing around in their world.
Fight for Freedom
Tiydus watched as Holly, once Alex's messenger roc, soared gracefully overhead with powerful flaps of her wings. It had been three days since they had left Indels, and Holly's restlessness suggested that they might be getting close. The roc guiding the brothers looked down and gave a chirp.
Tiydus turned to Remus behind him. "She's turning southwest," he relayed. Remus nodded and he and Tiydus changed direction accordingly. Almost as if he and Holly's minds were connected, the bird's restlessness was causing an impatience in Tiydus. "Hey Remus, pull out the map. Where are we?" he called back toward his brother.
Tiydus heard the ruffling of paper as Remus pulled the map out of his bag. "You are here," he said at first, jokingly stretching his arms out to indicate all around them. They were deep in the fields and rolling hills that came shortly past the mountains. Tiydus gave his brother a serious, but also amused look.
Remus shrugged. "I can't pinpoint our exact location, but we seem to be somewhere near the Serdian Prairie," he announced truthfully. Tiydus merely nodded in reply. In truth, the prairie wasn't really that far from Seles.
The brothers rode on for nearly another hour, with almost nothing to look at besides the knee-deep, wheat-colored grass that bristled in the wind and the faint shadow of the distant mountains. The wind in Tiydus' face served as a cooling agent on this otherwise scorching day. Out of the corner of his eye, Tiydus saw what appeared to be a group of gypsies. Turning his horse sharply westward, he halted and whistled for Holly and Remus to do the same.
Remus walked his horse casually to Tiydus' side. "What's wrong, bro?" he asked.
Tiydus blinked, making sure it wasn't a heat mirage he had seen and pointed to the line of people walking in what appeared to be a slow procession.
"What do you think is going on?" Remus asked, spying them also.
Tiydus shrugged. "I don't know, let's ride over and see. Besides, they might have a compass for trade. We need a new one, considering this blasted heat cracked ours to splinters," Tiydus suggested.
The two of them casually made their way to the group, going slow so as not to startle them, while Holly flew ahead. Tiydus' assumption that these people were gypsies didn't seem far off as they approached. These travelers looked worse for wear in their ragged clothes. They seemed to be carrying crudely made knapsacks that seemed hastily assembled. The physical appearance of these wanderers was quite grim. Many of them had stringy, greasy hair, for some it was even matted. The people were covered in such a dirt that it seemed like they had never bathed. Upon even closer inspection, Tiydus noticed they seemed to be carrying others no more fit for walking than the men, or on carts that some people pulled. Obviously these were wounded individuals. It was a troubling sight to say the least, and Remus of the two of them was the first to speak.
"What's happened to these people? Man, they look awful," he said seriously.
Tiydus shook his head. "I don't have a clue, but go slow, they look on edge," he warned.
No sooner had he spoken, than did one of the begotten people spot them. "BANDITS!" he yelled. "BANDITS!" Almost if it were a routine occurrence, weapons of all manners were drawn, including pitchforks and some gardening tools. Tiydus' instinct to grab his sword was strong, but he overpowered it, and placed his hands in the air. After having a similar moment, so did Remus.
"We're not bandits, we're travelers!" Remus shouted.
"We mean you no harm!" Tiydus called out additionally.
A particularly ragged man, whose clothes were tattered, torn, and slightly singed, stepped out from the chaos of armed people. "Ride then, into view of our archers and throw down your weapons," he shouted back.
Tiydus nodded to Remus and both slowly made their way onto the trail. Once out of the grass, Tiydus carefully dismounted his horse and removed his broadsword, wearily eyeing the archers on top of some of the wagons. They watched him back with equal tension, staring at his every move.
Suddenly, but also slowly, one of the archers on the end of a wagon lowered his bow. Squinting in the sun, he stared at them closely. "Tiydus? Remus?" he asked slowly.
Tiydus' eyes widened, he knew that voice. It was Daniel Tasman, son of Master Joshua Tasman, whom was Dart's mentor when he was younger. Daniel and Tiydus had always been more rivals than friends, but at least he recognized him. "Daniel?" he asked, uncertainly.
Daniel completely lowered his weapon. "Yes, it's me. Stand down everybody! They're not our enemies, they're Dart and Shana's sons!" he called with relief, glad to see a familiar face.
"Are you sure Daniel? They could be bandits in disguise," a gruff man warned.
"One way to find out," Daniel announced and jumped down from his perch. "Of course, a sword match will be necessary to determine who they really are. I am the better fighter, so if I win—"
"—If you won, you would be the victor out of sheer, dumb luck," Tiydus retorted.
Remus cringed, Tiydus knew it was probably unwise to say what he said, but after many years of childhood rivalry, his opinion on that matter hadn't changed much.
Daniel smiled and extended a hand. "Yep, it's definitely him. I'm actually sort of glad to see you, Tiydus," he said.
Tiydus gave him a questioning look, but then shook his hand. Once Daniel had greeted Remus, the rest of the procession seemed reassured and lowered their weapons. Much to Tiydus' surprise, he looked around again and saw many faces that he recognized, so did Remus. Many of them were their townsfolk from Seles.
"What happened, Daniel?" Tiydus asked suddenly and with concern as he eyed a wagon of wounded people. "Where's my father and mother?" he asked almost as quickly, before snapping back to face his acquaintance.
Daniel took a long, deep breath. "You two should probably be sitting when you hear this," he answered with a growl coming to his voice.
Tiydus got a sinking feeling in his stomach, a sentiment that his brother seemed to share. "No, I'd rather stand. What happened?" he repeated forcefully.
Daniel looked away and clenched his fists. "I don't know how to say this, so I will just be blunt. Seles was scorched to the ground," he said in anger.
Tiydus felt a great swell of emotion, and it was a jumbled up, complicated web of feeling. He wasn't sure how he didn't explode, he seemed to feel them all at once. He stood completely still for a moment, then rounded on Daniel with a thousand more questions brimming in his mind.
"To the ground? What the hell happened! Who did this? Why! Where are my parents? Are they with you?" he shouted all at once. Normally, Tiydus would have expected Remus to stop him, but Remus looked just as lost, confused, hurt, angry, and astonished.
Daniel put up his hands defensively. "Back off for a second and take a deep breath. I won't be able to tell you anything with you yelling at me like this," he said with a deep sigh.
Tiydus abruptly stopped his barrage of questions and stood still for a moment. Daniel didn't waste any time explaining. "It was mid-day about two days ago. They just came out of nowhere, bandits, I mean . . . there were so many of them. If I had to guess, I'd say about 300 men. There was nothing we could do, we were overwhelmed. Many of the villagers ran when the attack began. Those of us that could fight rallied to make a stand, but a bunch of us were either killed or captured. Everybody that you see here is everyone that we could save. We're headed to Indels now to seek the mercy of King Albert," he explained, with sorrow in his own voice.
Tiydus was quiet this time, but to his surprise, Remus was not. "You haven't told us where our parent are! Are they with you, then? And you say the bandits captured some people? Why would bandits take prisoners?" he demanded.
Daniel crossed his arms, apparently, he had already been thinking about that. "I don't know where you parents are, they sure as hell aren't with us. And as for why they were taking prisoners, your guess is as good as mine," he said bluntly.
Until now, the haggard man that had first called out to them had been silently listening. "We saved as many as we could and buried the dead. You parents are still alive as far as I know. I saw Dart just a few minutes before the attack happened; he came into my falconry, urging that I give him my fastest bird. He said Shana had been kidnapped by bandits, and he wanted me to send an emergency message to the King. Well, he and I fought the cretins when they first came in, but when it became apparent that the city was taken, we both fled to help save those we could along the way. Dart and I got separated at the edge of the wood, and I haven't seen him since. But, by Soa, that man has got to be the best fighter I have ever seen. I'm sure he's alright and hunting down that bandit scum while we speak," the man recounted.
Both Tiydus and Remus stood in shocked silence for a moment . Their home had been destroyed, and their mother kidnapped . . . but, why? Tiydus' mind pondered countless reasons, but in truth he didn't care. No matter what the motive had been, he was outraged beyond care for them. He wanted vengeance for the sins done to so many people he cared for, he wanted justice. He blinked. Now it seemed, he felt Alexandra's passion as his own. Tiydus gave an inner sigh.
"Remus, send Holly with a letter to King Albert about what just happened. Tell him we've gone after the culprits," Tiydus requested.
His words snapped Remus back to reality. "But, what about Alex?" he asked calmly, but with confusion.
Tiydus exhaled a long breath. As much as Alex meant to him, so did his mom. "Alex . . .can take care of herself. She ran away willingly, so my guess is that she had a plan and somewhere to go. She's probably safe right now, but mom certainly isn't. We'll have to look for Alex later, mom needs us right now," Tiydus said, more reasonably than he had been in a while.
Remus nodded. "You're right, I'll send the message," he said, turning to Holly, whom had perched herself on the top of a nearby hill.
Tiydus closed his eyes in frustration when he realized they didn't know where to begin searching. "Remus," he called after his brother. "Did you find out anything when you questioned that bandit?"
Remus didn't look up from where he was writing his message. "Not really. He was really profane and obnoxious," Remus said plainly.
Tiydus didn't give up. "There had to be something," the blonde brother insisted.
Remus scowled, apparently reliving the emotions he felt along with that memory. "The guy wouldn't even talk to King Albert, even when he threatened to have him executed. He kept telling him to go to hell."
Tiydus groaned. There had to be something. He turned to Daniel. "Daniel, did you request help from his majesty Albert about the bandit problem any time before the attack? Surely he would have sent reinforcements," Tiydus asked.
Daniel nodded. "We did, but obviously it didn't do us any good. The closest knighthood to us was the 7th, and they're all the way down the coast," he answered bitterly.
Tiydus thought harder, "Where had he heard about the seventh knighthood? Then it occurred to him, the seventh knighthood had saved Alexandra when she had been captured by bandits. He remembered briefly speaking to a few palace guards about it; they had told him that the 7th knighthood had been sent on a bandit hunt. The knighthood was bound to be onto a large group of bandits, which in turn could very well lead them to bandit headquarters. According to a palace rumor and conversation with Sir Thomas, a close friend of sir Gyr, the knighthood actually had already located the bandit HQ. But what would bandits be doing on the coast? There was nowhere to hide out there. Tiydus had another stunning revelation. The bandit King Albert had captive had told him to 'go to hell'. Hell on earth was suddenly possible as Tiydus suddenly shouted the answer.
"Hellena Prison!" he exclaimed quickly.
Remus turned to look at his brother. "What?" he rephrased.
"It's Hellena Prison, the bandits are in Hellena Prison! Just think about it, a large group of bandits in one place on the coast, and because the 7th knighthood was assigned to find and arrest bandits, that has to be what they found. I mean, why else would bandits hide on the coast, there's nothing there?" Tiydus deduced.
Remus grinned. "You're on a roll, brother. Keep this up and you might actually be as smart as me," he laughed.
Daniel and the haggard man, whose name was offered as Hyald, nodded in thought. "Well, that does make sense, but what if you're wrong? You'll go straight into danger for no purpose," Hyald reminded.
Tiydus shook his head. "If I'm wrong there won't be anything there but a ruin, because King Albert's army cleared the place years ago," he assured.
"Then I take it you won't be accompanying us to Bale?" Daniel asked.
"No, we've got a score to settle," Tiydus said powerfully.
Remus nodded in agreement. "If, by chance, you do see our father, please tell him not to worry," Remus requested.
As Tiydus turned to pick up his sword off the ground where he had laid it in his earlier attempt to gain the caravan's trust, Daniel's tone suddenly turned accusing. "Say, where were you two when Seles was attacked anyway? We could have used your help,"
he growled.
His accusations brought Tiydus' mind back to Alex, a subject still slightly touchy to him. "I was on a quest for King Albert," he answered swiftly and truthfully.
"A quest for the king? What could he possibly want from you?" Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"None of your business," Tiydus growled, insulted.
"Wait a second, weren't you engaged to the princess? What happened?" Daniel asked mockingly.
"Nothing. If it had, you'd have heard about it," he said sourly.
"Just know that we were preoccupied, and that you aren't privy to that information," Remus said bluntly, coming to his brother's defense.
Tiydus finished the movement that had been so rudely interrupted and retrieved his weapon. Flinging the sword back into its sheath over his shoulder, Tiydus mounted his horse.
Remus followed him soon after, spending several minutes asking around for a compass. He surfaced with one and nodded in gratitude to the young woman who's name Tiydus didn't know. Tiydus' red-haired brother spent the next few moments trying to tie the message onto Holly's leg, but to no avail. She struggled out of his grasp.
"She won't hold still," Remus said irritably.
Tiydus shrugged. "She's been given specific instructions by the master falconer, she probably only obeys him and Alex. Just give the note to Hyald, we don't have time to waste," he suggested. Once assured by Hyald that he would deliver the letter personally, Tiydus and Remus rode on.
At first, Holly didn't seem happy about the change of course, but at last she relented and followed closely behind the two brothers. It was rapidly approaching nightfall when the two arrived at the coast. A strange sight greeted them as they gazed out over the breaking surf. There was a small jetties of rock, leading out onto the ocean and to a large, protruding rock structure shaped like a man's head. There were many openings in the rock with what appeared to be bars over them. To Tiydus they looked like scars on the face of the rock. He realized that these were windows of course, the prison cells of Hellena. Smoke was rising from the top of the complex, out of what looked like a pointed hat on the rock's head. Dark storm clouds swirled menacingly around the compound threatening rain, but so far it was an empty threat.
Tiydus suspected that the infamous Hellena Prison might have been more terrifying if it hadn't been besieged by a great number of small white tents on the oceanfront, a blockade of sorts. Tiydus nodded to Remus and the two rode into the midst to the white tents and their occupants. A few soldiers directed them to the tent of one of the knighthood commanders after a series of harsh interrogations, and soon the brothers were being greeted by a man with long grey and black hair and imperial armor.
"Greetings, gentlemen, welcome to the encampment of his majesty's 7th knighthood of Serdio. I am Sir Gyr, how may I assist you?" he introduced politely.
Tiydus and Remus both gave a respectful nod. "A pleasure to meet you, Sir Gyr, I'm Tiydus Feld, and this is my brother Remus Feld. We're here to ask you about the situation here," Tiydus replied.
Sir Gyr studied them for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization. "You are Lord Dart Feld's sons, are you not? My, I must be getting on in the years if I can't recognize you! By god, the resemblance is unmistakable! Please, make yourselves at home," he insisted and ordered for chairs to be brought. Once they were seated, Sir Gyr promptly addressed their concerns.
"Now then, has his majesty sent you? I take it to check on our progress?" he assumed. "Or, is it the princess Alexandra? I've heard certain rumors that say she—"
"She's fine," Tiydus snapped more harshly than he had intended.
Sir Gyr swiftly sensed his error and apologized. "My apologies. That was just a rumor among the masses and it was out of my place."
"Actually Sir Gyr, King Albert didn't send us, we've come on our own," Remus answered.
Sir Gyr looked puzzled. "Who intentionally comes to Hellena?" he asked.
Remus looked him directly in the eyes. "Seles has been attacked by bandits and apparently destroyed . . ." he said with quiet anger.
Sir Gyr donned an expression of sympathy on his face. "I'd gotten word that Seles might possibly be in some sort of danger and I did send several of my best knights combined with some of those from the other companies here. Damn," he said ruefully. "Obviously they didn't get there in time. I'm truly sorry my young lords. Had I known maybe a hair earlier . . . ." he said, truly remorseful and slightly frustrated. "And so I take it you've come for vengeance against the bandits?" Sir Gyr concluded.
"It's not only that. Our mother was kidnapped during the attack along with some of the other people from the village. We have strong reason to believe that she's being brought here," Tiydus added.
Sir Gyr looked contemplative. "Alas, she might have been with the group of captives brought into the prison this morning before our arrival," he answered, frowning deeply.
"Are you saying that we're too late? That the prisoners are already inside?" Tiydus said in alarm. He cursed himself inwardly, they shouldn't have stayed so long with the others from Seles.
Remus sighed. "Well, that's a negative aspect, but we should be able to rescue them. When were you planning your offensive, Sir Gyr?" the redhead asked.
The commander sighed and looked onto the prison and its menacing front. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, Lord Remus. We have no access into the prison. There is only one gate, believe me, we've staked out every possible route and entrance and that's the only one. So far, we have been unsuccessful in breaching it. I've lost a dozen men already; we can't even get close without putting ourselves in reach of their arrows. They also have the advantage of the high ground, our arrows don't reach the top of their tower," he explained.
Remus sighed and followed the commander's gaze out onto the battlefront. His critical gaze scoured every inch of the place, checking to see if there was anything the Commander might have overlooked. "And you're sure there is only one gate?" he asked again.
Sir Gyr nodded to affirm. "Half the damn trouble is that place is surrounded on most sides by water. It would be impossible to drill a line underneath there, and we obviously can't enter from above."
"If we could only get to that tower, that would be a start," he added, thinking to himself.
Tiydus sank into his chair; nothing he thought of seemed to help. Tiydus put his head in one hand and thought hard. A warm feeling washed through him, giving him an odd sense of power when he felt so powerless. He closed his eyes and it was almost as if he had entered another dimension. Seven views assaulted his senses at once as wind rushed over him. He was moving, and very fast. Beneath him he could see the ground far below. He could feel every current of heat giving him altitude, and the power beneath his wings . . .
He snapped his eyes wide open and almost fell out of his chair. Wings! They needed wings! How could he have been so stupid? Tiydus could have sworn he saw a sparkle flare and suddenly die from his dragoon spirit. They needed to fly, and fly they could.
"I'm sure we'll figure out something, Remus and I are going to take a walk to think about this and strategize," Tiydus said quickly.
Remus glanced up at him and a dull red glow became visible under his armor. "I agree," he said, following Tiydus out the door.
"Did you feel that too, just now?" Remus asked as his dragoon spirit gave an odd glow, a gesture that Tiydus' mimicked.
"Yeah. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. We're dragoons, we can fly, we have wings," Tiydus stated with a smirk.
Remus looked up at the top of the tower, then at his brother skeptically. "Are you crazy? We don't even know how to transform, and even if we did, we'd tire too quickly. Even if we did somehow reach the top, we'd be too exhausted to move," Remus pointed out.
Tiydus frowned. "What do you mean IF we reach the top?" he asked. "Have some confidence, Rem."
Remus rolled his eyes. "Well, first off, we don't know how to fly, and secondly they'd shoot us out of the sky if we got within eyesight," he argued.
Tiydus shrugged. "It's nearly nightfall. We can wait for the full cover of darkness. As for flying, it can't really be all that hard, can it?" he asked, trying to persuade his brother.
Remus shook his head. "Good thing you have confidence brother, because you're right on the mark when you said I don't. There's still the issue of exhaustion and the initial transformation," Remus reminded.
Tiydus considered for a moment. "King Albert told me that dragoon transformations are powered by spirit, or they can be triggered. He said that yours was triggered by a subconscious defense reaction and that mine was a reaction to yours," he recalled.
"So?" Remus asked.
"So, if we recreate the scenario, maybe it will happen again," Tiydus answered.
"You're nuts," Remus said at last, eyeing him dubiously.
"You got a better idea?" Tiydus retorted.
Remus grinned. "You know, I could get used to this logical you," he laughed.
"Whatever works," the blonde twin remarked, making Remus' grin broaden into a smile.
"I guess we do what you say and wait for nightfall," Remus answered.
The brothers didn't have to wait very long, night fell within the half hour. Tiydus had found a small clearing just outside the skirts of the encampment, a concealed place in which he and Remus would hopefully be able to make the transformation into dragoons. Once they were sure that they were alone, Tiydus drew his sword and Remus drew his scarlet sabers in response.
"Okay, so what exactly happened back there?" Remus asked.
Tiydus shrugged. "I hit you and you transformed," he recollected.
Remus raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I should just sit still and let you hit me?" he asked skeptically.
Tiydus nodded. "Unless you know of another way."
Remus cringed and opened himself up to an attack, standing perfectly still. "You're going to owe me big, bro," he said with a grimace.
Tiydus managed a smirk before executing a swift strike to Remus' chest with the broad side of his sword.
Remus let out a short gasp of breath before flying backwards onto the ground with the force of the blow. Tiydus could feel frustration taking hold. He was sure this would have worked. Precious moments were passing, and still nothing was happening.
Remus slowly got to his feet, coughing. "Ow! That hurt!" he insisted in irritation.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "Do you feel any different? Anything at all?" Tiydus asked hurriedly.
Remus rolled his eyes and groaned. "Not unless you count the sensation of a couple bruised ribs," he protested sorely, rubbing his side.
"Well, obviously we did something wrong, we should—" Tiydus began.
"Absolutely not," Remus interjected quickly, "We are not trying that again."
"Remus—" Tiydus began insistently.
"Remus nothing, we're finding a different way!" he protested. "I still have to fly and then help you fight, remember? I don't think I'll be much help if all my bones are broken."
Tiydus sighed. "What then?" he said impatiently. He hadn't hit Remus that hard, maybe the strike had to be with all his strength.
Remus rubbed his temple with his fingers. He seemed to be becoming impatient fast as well. "Damn, this is taking forever!" he growled in irritation. "By the time we get a hold of this, the sun might have already risen! And mom—argh!"
A bright, red light pierced through the darkness from Remus' chest. Tiydus watched in amazement as once again his brother was enveloped by burning fire, blinding light, and scorching heat. Moments later, Tiydus watched with awe as Remus descended to hover a few inches off the ground, a flaming warrior.
When the unruly flame died away to a point that Remus became visible behind it, Tiydus called out to him, "How did you do that Rem?"
The dragoon Remus nodded quickly. "Think of something powerful, really powerful, it needs to make you angry!" he yelled back above the crackling flame.
"Why angry?" Tiydus questioned.
"Just do it and hurry, I don't know how long I can hold this," Remus urged.
Tiydus closed his eyes and thought of Seles, his home burning to ashes, a bandit laughing as he watched. Tiydus felt his rage start to build, so then the thought of a bandit carrying his unconscious mother away and yet another carrying a screaming Alexandra. His rage took hold of him and all he wanted was his vengeance, to make the bandits pay for what they had done. Almost instantly, he felt the change occur.
When Tiydus opened his eyes next, he was in the realm of pure light that he had seen before. Again he watched as armor grew out of the light onto his body. A sum of weight was added to his back and Tiydus noticed a powerful surge through his sword, ending the metamorphosis. He was back in reality in the blink of an eye, a strong contrast to his last transformation which had seemly lasted an eternity.
Tiydus looked to Remus, who grinned. "I don't know how you're going to fly with all of those wings, but let's go!" he insisted and gave his own ruby wings a stout flap.
Tiydus made a mental note, flapping equals up. Tiydus wasn't sure if he would be able to fly as well as Remus or coordinate his wings, but it seemed as if instinct was guiding him. He flapped the topmost pair of wings, which sent a shiver down his spine. The shiver spread a chain reaction to his other four wings and he soared upward, joining Remus. Flying didn't seem too hard now that he was actually doing it, what he was worried about now was the landing.
Flying proved to be a unique sensation, there was more to it than simply flapping your wings as he and Remus discovered, but overall they learned quickly and didn't have too much trouble. The two of them had already reached a considerable height as they flew towards Hellena's towers. Tiydus' guess was that they were now nearing somewhere around 700 feet off the ground and they still had a considerable distance to go. So far so good, they hadn't been spotted yet. Tiydus gestured to the right, signaling Remus to fly around to the back of the fortress, the part that faced the sea, and then continue upwards.
Tiydus didn't let their current lack of opposition put him at ease, he knew that any minute they could be seen or fired upon, so he was on full alert. Remus beside him was edgy also. They both seemed completely sure that the sound of their large wings flapping would give them away, but if someone heard, they didn't act.
Three, two, one . . ., they had reached the tower's top not a moment too soon. Tiydus' every muscle ached and he was having to struggle with a great amount of willpower to hold his dragoon form. Momentarily ignoring the burning in his limbs, Tiydus instinctively surveyed his surroundings as soon as he could see over the ridge of the tower wall. He tensed, adding even more pain onto his strained body, expecting several guards or spear-shooters, but what he saw surprised him. There was only one bandit guard and he was fast asleep next to a cannon-like spear-shooter. The bandit had one grungy hand clutched around the neck of a wineskin; no doubt the former had contained some strong spirits in the not too distant past.
Tiydus snorted, he had never been one for drinking, but now and then if the ale was good, he wouldn't mind one or two. This small, puny man however, had such an obvious addiction or at least a strong spontaneous compulsion that he was in such a deep sleep he only snored when Tiydus and Remus carefully put their feet on the solid rock.
Despite the urge to be stealthy, Tiydus let out an exhausted sigh, unable to repress it. The second his feet hit the ground, almost as if it had been timed, he felt his back become lighter and saw another flash of blinding golden light as his powerful armor and wings disappeared. Remus wasn't far behind him as Tiydus could tell from the burst of red light from behind him. As much as he tried to fight it, Tiydus was suddenly overwhelmed by concern as he fell to his knees unable to combat his fatigue. Remus had been right, but what now?
As he was forming a plan to try and remedy the situation, Remus walked over to his side. How was he standing, let alone walking? Remus pulled a clear vial with some unknown hot-pink liquid from his pant pocket and handed it to him.
"Drink it. It's a spirit potion, it'll replace the energy you lost. King Albert gave them to me before we left, I forgot I had them." Remus whispered.
Tiydus nodded and drank the potion, trusting in his brother. It wasn't long before Tiydus felt a warm rush through his limbs, securing his replenished strength. Tiydus returned to his feet easily and quietly thanked Remus, whom had a satirical grin on his face.
"Don't really care about sneak attacks do they?" Remus asked, gazing at the careless bandit.
Tiydus shrugged as he walked over to the dozing drunken man. "I guess not. In fact," he announced as he grabbed the lapels of the man's shirt and shook him, "it would appear he's out cold. Come on Rem, help me with this," he said, removing the man's shirt. Although he was sure that he and Remus could probably sneak through Hellena just fine as they were, they might be able to find out more if they looked like two of the bandit number.
After stripping the man down to his underwear, Tiydus quickly threw on the man's attire over his own armor and covered his head with the man's headgear. The man's clothes were very unbecoming, the poorly hemmed ends came several inches too short of Tiydus' hands and feet, but other than that, he was well-disguised.
Tiydus nodded to Remus. "Stay here and make double-sure he doesn't wake up. I'll be right back," Tiydus assured and disappeared into one of Hellena's open stone hallways. He carefully scanned the hallways, looking for a single guard or lone bandit, preferably one that was half-asleep and didn't look like they would give him too much trouble. It didn't take him long to find one. As he rounded the corner he found another lone bandit that was still awake, but stiff with boredom guarding the exit to the particular hallway they were in.
Tiydus swiftly and powerfully grabbed the bandit around the throat with one arm and cupped his other hand around the ruffian's mouth. The stunned bandit struggled as fiercely as a bug in a spider's web, just as Tiydus was hoping. The more the man struggled, the more he exhausted his own breath until he passed out limply in Tiydus' hold. Tiydus released his captive and, taking great care to make sure no one saw them, he dragged the man's unconscious form back out onto the tower's balcony and helped Remus borrow the man's clothing.
At length, they found a coil of rope next to one of the crates of spears. It was probably for use in conjunction with the spears, but the brothers used it instead to bind the two unconscious bandits to each other back-to-back and around the base of a large spear-shooter. Remus used an extra length of rope to gag both men before the two brothers embarked together into one of Hellena's dark hallways.
As they carefully watched and walked along the dimly lit corridors, Tiydus and Remus passed several iron-barred doors. The spaces on the opposing sides of the bars housed deplorable living conditions; all the rooms were covered on all surfaces with dirt and slime and rats scampered across the floors in all directions. Tiydus was thankful to see however, that these cells were mercifully devoid of prisoners.
Tiydus felt himself tense as five tall shadows reflected by torchlight approached from straight ahead. These were the first bandits that Tiydus and Remus had encountered; their reactions would be the true test of their disguises. Remus elbowed Tiydus slightly as the bandits entered into view, giving him a gentle reminder to relax and try to act natural. Tiydus' tension didn't go away, but he let his arms hang loosely at his sides as they passed the group. The five bandits merely nodded to them as they passed by. Remus snorted as he and Tiydus noticed the bandit in the back of the group pickpocket the one in front of him.
"Truly no honor among thieves," Remus said with a hushed tone of amusement.
The towers of Hellena weren't architecturally complicated; it seemed they were all round, a spiral to be exact, as evident by the round cell-lined room Tiydus and Remus had just entered. There was an initial ring of cells, the floor, then, oddly enough, a chasm that was constantly spouting steam. Two boardwalks across the chasm on either side of the tower gave access to an inner line of cells. Tiydus looked around and his stomach gave a disgusted lurch.
Unlike the corridors they had just traveled through, the cells of this room were full of prisoners. Starved, scared and tattered people of every gender, age, and size filled the tight, disgusting spaces like fish in a can. Tiydus spotted a boy he assumed to be no older than three, clinging to the bar-lined front of his cell desperately calling for his mother. Remus tapped Tiydus' shoulder, and Tiydus followed his gaze to an old woman covered in thick wrinkles. She was so thin that her skin was drawn tight over her bones, barely covering her frame. Her eyes sent a chill down Tiydus' spine; they were devoid of spirit and gave her a ghastly appearance.
"Maybe we should ask one of them what's going on. They might be able to help us. There is no way that these people are criminals," Remus suggested grimly.
Tiyus clenched his fist and sighed. As much as he wanted to just blow his cover and spring to the aid of these people, right now they had nowhere to go but back into bandit hands and they still had yet to find their mother. Giving their disguise away would potentially be disastrous.
"No, we'd give ourselves away. It's best not to reveal ourselves until we can help these people. Let's keep going, we're bound to find something soon," Tiydus whispered regretfully.
Remus nodded solemnly and followed wordlessly by Tiydus' side. They passed a bandit patrolman, whom ignored them and went straight over to the screaming boy. With one swift move, the bandit kicked at the boy's outstretched hands, barely missing. The boy scuttled backwards into the arms of an older man, eyes brimming over with tears and wails.
"SHUT UP YOU LITTLE SON OF A WHORE! IF YOU DON'T STOP MAKING A RUCKUS, I'LL CUT OUT YOUR TONGUE!" the bandit guard yelled in irritation.
The older man quickly cupped his hand around the boy's mouth in an attempt to silence him. Remus was halfway to his swords by the time Tiydus realized it, and a red glow was becoming visible underneath his bandit over shirt.
"No Remus!" he snapped quickly and grabbed his brother's arms.
Tiydus couldn't see Remus' mouth beneath the bandit garb, but he knew his brother must have been wearing a hateful scowl. His eyes alone were burning with fury and he stiffly lingered in Tiydus' grasp for a few moments before finally easing off the hilts of his swords. Tiydus wanted more than anything to let Remus rip the man to bits, heck, he'd even help, but what good would that small act of valor do when they still had nowhere to go?
"Don't watch, you'll just lose your cool," Tiydus advised and motioned Remus forward reluctantly.
The next tower only got worse. These cells were crammed full of people also, though seemingly more so than the previous ones had been. There wasn't even any extra floor space for the rats to crawl on. More people were screaming, crying, or pleading for mercy or release to their bandit jailors, which in turn brandished long knives at outstretched appendages and shouted more obscene phrases. Tiydus spotted an arched corridor that was spouting light onto the floor. He and Remus followed this hallway out onto a rocky platform with a bridge straight ahead adjoining their platform to another. However, off to the side of the platform that the twins were standing on was an elevator of sorts. As Tiydus studied the roping attached to the pulley system, he concluded that the device could be used to move downward.
Remus nodded to him, apparently sharing the same conclusion that moving downward would be the most logical place to find the lever or switch that opened the main gate. Remus went first, after which Tiydus followed him into the large interior of the lift and braced himself as the lift began creaking down the rope. Tiydus was praying that the ropes would hold, because although the ropes had felt sturdy under his tugging when he tested them a few moments ago, the ropes did look fairly old.
After a few moments the lift landed roughly against another rocky ledge. Tiydus stepped out, followed by Remus. Straight ahead was the entrance to another tower, and still more cells. To the left was another pulley system lift, also going down. After testing this lift also by giving each of its supporting ropes a sound tug, Tiydus and Remus climbed into the interior. There was more squeaking, and then suddenly they began to plummet downward rapidly. Tiydus gritted his teeth and grasped madly at the cloth coverings of the lift cage. One of the ropes had broken; he could hear it flailing against the lift cage's side.
Remus was acting similarly on the other side of the lift cage; he was groping around wildly for something to hang onto. Before either of them had time to scream or formulate a quick plan they were tossed up into the air from the impact of the lift hitting the ground. Both landed awkwardly, Remus on his butt and Tiydus on his back.
Tiydus quickly scrambled to his feet and grabbed Remus by the wrist, helping him to his feet and pulling him out of the lift. Looking around, Tiydus was relieved that no one had heard the noise and no one was coming to investigate. Tiydus turned to Remus with a comical grin.
"Oops," he snorted, to which Remus managed a quiet laugh in reply.
"That was rather graceful, wasn't it?" Remus answered. "Where are we now?" he added, looking around. The brothers were on yet another platform with an adjoining bridge, but at least this time they seemed to be at sea level. "Which way?" Remus asked quietly.
Tiydus shrugged. "Since we're on this side why don't we just check this hall first?" he suggested, gesturing to the hallway behind them. The brothers followed the bleak stone corridor, expecting another penitentiary chamber. They were both surprised however, to see a glint of some golden object at the end of the hall. They followed the metallic light to the end of the hall and found themselves on a small overlook to a large room with a pit in the center. Inside the pit were all manner of valuables littering the floor and mounting into piles in some places. There were chests upon chests of silver and gold coins, all sizes, shapes, and pieces of jewelry, statues of precious metals and finely carved stones, fine dresses and garments made of brightly colored silks and rich velvets, works of fine art in vibrant paints and oils, books bound in pure leather, various pieces of armor of all metals and several dazzling pieces of jewel-encrusted weaponry in addition to several odd and shiny knickknacks that neither brother knew what they were. Anything that seemed to have even a remote monetary value could be seen littering the floors and walls of this room in Hellena. This must have been where the bandits kept all the loot from their raids and plundering. Aside from all the clutter there were also many bandits in the room, their dim and grungy attire a stark contrast from the spectacular amount of glittering and shining treasure they were shining next to. Most were filling large sacks full of random treasure, seemingly under the supervision of a few authoritative bandits present, distinguished by their slightly more armored appearance. The armored bandits would occasionally yell a reprimand to a few of the more zealous underlings loading their sacks, and occasionally deliver a semi-heavy blow with a blunt of a weapon to those that were choosing not to listen, but for the most part they just stood by watching the frenzy, not stopping it. Tiydus guessed this must have been the bandit method of payment.
With nothing more to see, the brothers exited back the way they had come. Once out of the hallway, they crossed the long, wooden bridge unaware of the bandit lieutenant coming up behind them. Tiydus was the first to sense his presence once he and Remus had safely crossed the bridge onto the platform, but not before the man had spoken to them.
"Jackson, Flem! There you two boneheads are! I've been looking for you!" he said fiercely.
Tiydus and Remus turned around slowly realizing the newcomer was addressing them. This bandit was incredibly short for someone with such a loud mouth. For a moment Tiydus just stared at the man blankly.
"What are you looking at, Flem?" the man piped hotly to Tiydus.
Tiydus was grinning beneath his head-wrap; this man only came up to his waist, it was hard to find him intimidating. Casting a furtive glance at Remus, Tiydus could see the concealed amusement in his eyes too.
The fussy bandit sighed. "You two, I swear! Hurry up, go to the main chamber with the others! Captain Ikmir needs help with the shipment!" the small bandit commanded.
Tiydus' scowled inwardly. Shipment? Captain Ikmir, Tiydus knew, was the bandit that Alex had fought. Tiydus gathered from this huffy little bandit's tone that the men he and Remus were impersonating were stupid. He could use this to his advantage.
"Uh," he began, faking a hoarse, gruff voice, "where's that again?" He saw the momentary alarm in Remus' eyes, but it faded quickly.
The bandit rolled his eyes. "You dumbasses! I swear you'd lose your IQ if it weren't already gone! It's straight through there, now hurry up!" the bandit hissed, pointing behind them.
Tiydus shrugged and turned away with Remus following him. Tiydus was grateful to see that the bandit wasn't following them as he disappeared into the hallway. It didn't take much effort to find the main chamber, a large intersection of the corridors with an overhang. Many bandits were gathered here and were surrounding a group of people in the center of the room, herding them into a circle.
A very large bandit walked onto the overhang dressed in a desert turbin and cape. He had two sabers at his belt, not unlike Remus, and an attitude sharper than any sword. The man began cursing loudly.
"Where the hell is that good-for-nothing lazy sea scum Marleus? He should have been here days ago! Damn pirates, Lord Nvernias is going to have their heads and mine!" he hissed vehemently to no one in particularly. None of this made sense to Tiydus.
"This shipment has been paid for in advance, so he sure as hell better get it on time!" the man continued irately.
Tiydus felt his own face twist into a disgusted scowl as he finally realized who and what the situation involved. These people were from Seles. Tiydus saw a great many scared, upset faces he recognized. The 'shipment' was the people, HIS people. Tiydus had no idea who this Nvernias was, but he was sorely mistaken if he thought if he thought he could take his townsfolk. Tiydus heard something then that made his heart pound with anxiety.
"And the woman, sir?" he heard a bandit subordinate ask above the noise. A sudden scream from a hysterical prisoner drown out the reply.
Tiydus cursed inwardly in anger. He knew that 'this woman' that they referred to must have been someone important from his hometown. His mind was already deciding that he was going to ask his questions directly to the bandit commander.
Silence resumed, and Tiydus could hear again. "What of our operative in the palace? Has Rastican succeeded? Has he recovered the journal from the king?" the commander asked.
The man at his side trembled. "Captain Ikmir . . . about Rastican . . .he . . .he failed," the man said timidly.
Captain Ikmir scowled. "Failed? What do you mean FAILED?" he snarled.
"The p . . .princess Alexandra! S . . she defeated him . . . she is a better fighter than anyone knew!" the man said submissively and with a strong tone of fear.
Without warning, Captain Ikmir grabbed the man's arm and threw him off the overhang into a chasm of steam behind him. The sickening scream that followed caught the attention of all.
"That one . . . she will regret the day she intervened . . ." he snarled and then went on to loudly list all the 'debts' he would extract from her when he caught her, giving rise to chortles from all the nearby bandits.
Tiydus felt his insides go hot, every inch of his being was alive with rage. That bandit filth would never set hand on Alex, because Tiydus was going to kill the bastard first and disassemble him piece by piece. Before he knew it, he was reaching for his sword. It was Remus' turn to react, as the redhead swiftly grabbed Tiydus' arm.
"Tiydus!" Remus hissed loudly in his ear.
Tiydus knew he should be taking his own advice, but his ears were like a target and the bandit captain's words were like arrows that had already fired; each word couldn't miss.
Unwittingly, another subordinate on Ikmir's other side interrupted him. "Sir, what about the Wildman? He'll need to be dealt with too."
Ikmir backhanded him hard across the face, sending him into the chasm too. "Don't interrupt me while I'm fantasizing," he said dismissively with a heartless laugh.
Tiydus snarled. He wanted to throw up. Just the thought of that bandit filth with his hands all over Alex . . . He was taken completely by surprise as a golden glow burst forth from underneath his disguise.
Remus was beyond horrified as all eyes turned to them. "Tiydus for the love of God! Calm down!" Remus pleaded desperately.
"I'm going to kill him!" Tiydus snarled.
Remus looked around. "Paycheck item, shines too much, I tried to convince him to go with silver . . ." he announced to everyone around them uneasily.
All the bandits shrugged, except Ikmir. "You two, come here!" he demanded.
Tiydus heard Remus exhale a nervous breath as they both just continued to stand there. Tiydus could tell Remus was sizing up the situation and strongly considering the use of his dragoon spirit. There were too many of them to fight alone otherwise.
"NOW!" Ikmir demanded dangerously.
Tiydus began quickly moving forward, with Remus close behind. The bandits moved aside to allow them access to stairs leading up to the towering overhang. Tiydus walked determinedly up the stairs, along with Remus. They were now alone with Ikmir on the overhang. From their new high vantage point, Tiydus had a clear view of the main gate and the lever behind it. It was manned by one guard down below them in a small outlet in the wall to the right.
Tiydus stopped five feet in front of Captain Ikmir. The bandit had a harsh look on his face, and then he smiled. "I could use you two, seeing as how my last two assistants met an . . .unfortunate end just now. Guards that won't talk back and that are stupid enough for looks," he laughed.
Tiydus' eyes were aflame as he defiantly looked at the Captain. Now was the time to make a move. They had a clear shot at the gate lever and he knew the knighthood outside would be quick to make use of the entrance. "Then look again!" Tiydus spat and removed his head covering. "Remus!" he yelled and gestured to his right, even though his brother was already moving. The redhead leapt gracefully off the overhang, drawing swords as he fell.
Tiydus and Ikmir drew swords at the same time, turning to each other fiercely. "KILL THEM!" Ikmir shouted in rage and lunged for Tiydus with his twin sabers. Tiydus swiftly executed an overhead block with his sword, as his opponent's two crashed down onto it. Ikmir kicked out at Tiydus, missing when Tiydus twisted to the side. Tiydus shot a kick of his own as well and followed up with an uppercut with his sword. Ikmir yielded aside as Tiydus had done and met Tiydus' upward strike with a downward one. Both Tiydus and the bandit captain refolded and positioned for another strike.
By this time, bandit henchmen from below had made their way up the stairs. Tiydus shot a fierce back kick at a bandit behind him, catching the ruffian in the chest and knocking him into several of the bandits behind him. They toppled over like dominos, giving Tiydus time only to duck before a desert saber sliced cleanly through the air where his head would have been followed closely by a second. The young warrior jabbed expertly at Ikmir's exposed side; however the bandit captain was no novice.
The bandit parried with one sword and swiped at Tiydus with the other. Tiydus jumped backwards as the sword barely missed his abdomen. He was suddenly aware of a sharp, burning pain in his shoulder. Looking over, he caught a glimpse of an arrow that had impaled him right under his shoulder plate. Blood started to leak out in trails, but luckily, as Tiydus observed, most of the arrow's impact had grazed the tip of his pauldron. The wound didn't look bad from a glance, but there wasn't a sure way to tell without removing his armor. Deep or not, the wound hurt like hell.
He grasped his shoulder in reflex, a mistake, as Tiydus saw Ikmir move in with swords at the ready. Tiydus blocked one of the swords, as Ikmir began to move in a whirlwind motion with his good arm, which was also his sword arm, but he failed to block the other completely. The strike caught him square in the midriff and sent him to the ground arched over backwards. Fortunately, Tiydus' armor had absorbed the blow and he didn't receive any obvious injuries. A volley of arrows came down around them, fired from bandit archers on the ground as the bandit commander moved in for the kill.
Quick as lightning, Tiydus kicked out his foot, hooked it around the bandit's ankles and took his feet out from underneath him. Tiydus rolled onto his knees, then got to his feet. Tiydus could hear the clank of metal from below, he knew Remus had succeeded in opening the gate when he heard the sound of trumpets. The seventh knighthood was sounding the call to action. Tiydus saw Remus running towards them down below followed by many of Bale's knights. Tiydus heard the sound of moving air just in time to parry a strike from Ikmir, whom had also returned to his feet.
"I must say boy, not bad, but not good enough," Ikmir said with a nasty laugh as he performed an 'X' strike, with his sabers poised to catch Tiydus in the middle. Tiydus shook his head, this guy had it coming. Tiydus threw a side strike with his sword swiftly to the left. The collision of motion caught Ikmir unaware and knocked his sword away. Tiydus ducked under the right sword, now only having one to worry about. He and Ikmir exchanged sword blows until finally Tiydus could see Ikmir begin to tire. The bandit captain brought his sword up undoubtedly planning an overhead strike, but he was caught off guard when a large bird suddenly swooped upon him with a cry, snatching his sword away with its talons.
Tiydus grinned. "Thanks Holly!" he called out as Ikmir, now out of weapons, put his hands up in surrender and dropped to his knees. Tiydus rolled his eyes and quickly gave the bandit a right hook to the jaw, sending him sprawling onto his back. Tiydus roughly put his foot on the bandit captain's stomach and his sword to his throat, effectively pinning him to the ground.
"Now listen you vile grubworm, and listen good, I'm going to ask you a few questions and your answers determine whether or not I kill you here and now. If you give me what I perceive as a load of bullshit I'll kill you right here, understand?" Tiydus growled dangerously.
Ikmir laughed from the floor. "You're bluffing. Boy, you don't have the guts."
Tiydus tightened his grip on his sword and shoved the tip closer to the bandit's jugular. "Try me," Tiydus warned as a thin spot of blood appeared on the bandit's throat from the minimal contact. Captain Ikmir was suddenly very willing to talk.
"Now that I have your undivided attention, WHY DID YOU ATTACK SELES!" Tiydus inquired fiercely.
Trembling beneath Tiydus' boot, the bandit stammered. "It . . .it was ordered. I followed orders!"
"Who ordered it?" Tiydus snapped.
"Lord Nvernias, the king of dark elves, he promised a pretty penny for everyone in the village I could give him!" Ikmir answered bluntly.
Tiydus wasn't through. "Why? Why does he want the people of Seles! I heard you speak of a woman? Who is she! And your men kidnapped someone from my family! Shana Feld! Where is she! SPEAK!" Tiydus thundered.
The fearful look on Ikmir's face suddenly turned sarcastic and he cackled. "Oh that woman? She is the woman I was referring to! She's not here; she's been taken to a rendezvous with Lord Nvernias. He seemed especially keen on meeting her," Ikmir answered.
Tiydus stomped down hard on Ikmir's stomach, flattening him to the ground with a loud cough. "What? Where has she been taken! Why!" Tiydus bellowed like a lion.
"To the black castle, Kazas, as far as I know. As for why, I don't know. Can't be good if she's Lord Nvernias' special guest!" he sneered in reply.
Tiydus kicked his captive in the side with his other foot. Ikmir gave a short outcry of pain, but then resumed laughing, giving rise to even more of Tiydus' rage.
"What's so funny? Should I continue to beat it out of you?" the young swordsman snarled.
Ikmir was unaffected by the threat and continued laughing still, even when Tiydus kicked him again. Seeing as his physical prods for information were failing, he returned to asking questions.
"Then, what have you done with my father, Dart Feld?" he snarled, changing topics.
Ikmir's laugher suddenly died away. "Your father? So the woman is your—"
"MY MOTHER! NOW ANSWER ME!" Tiydus roared. It was beginning to take every bit of restraint he could muster not to actually run the man through. His rage must have been backed by something far more menacing, because the divine dragoon spirit around his neck sparked to life under the clothing he was wearing, sending a powerful ripple down his arm, through his sword, and Tiydus was sure even into the ground because for moments afterward there was only silence, a strange sensation for so many people engaged in a battle.
Ikmir's laughter was gone completely. He gulped, and laid down even further against the ground. There was fear behind his eyes, and it triggered a savagery in Tiydus.
"I . . .don't know. There is no such man here! He must have been rescued by the Wildman!" Ikmir gasped quietly.
"Wildman?" Tiydus asked nastily, unconvinced.
"The wildman! He lives somewhere on the plains! He has made many raids on our shipments! I've only personally seen him once! I know nothing else, I swear!" the bandit captain insisted, bringing Tiydus to another question.
"What are you doing with all these people? Selling them where? For what?" Tiydus demanded.
"Most for servantry, most to—" the bandit commander began.
"SLAVES?" Tiydus growled and went to kick the bandit captain again.
"Lord Tiydus, if you would, I think you've gotten all the information you're going to get out of him. If you would please step back and let me place him under arrest . . ." Sir Gyr said from behind him.
Tiydus snarled fiercely, but then slowly removed his sword and turned his prisoner over to Sir Gyr. Down below the knights were cheering, evidently the battle had been won and many bandits lie dead or captured.
"Sir Gyr," Tiydus called, "tell his majesty to hold that one for me," he said, giving the captain an icy glare, "if he lied to me, I'll make good on my word."
Sir Gyr nodded. "I wouldn't worry about it my young Lord, I do believe a taste of his majesty's dungeon followed by his swift justice will bring the truth about this whole mess into the light."
Remus walked up onto the overhang just in time to catch Tiydus as he stumbled. He'd been so emotionally keyed up that he hadn't been paying any attention to his injured shoulder. While he'd been preoccupied, it would seem the injury had gotten the better of him.
Remus frowned. "Tiydus, are you-never mind. Sit down, now," Remus insisted swiftly, Tiydus could tell in his tone that he was extremely concerned.
Remus put one arm around Tiydus's shoulders, being mindful not to touch his wound, and helped him over to the wall next to the staircase. Remus helped him sit down, and propped him up against the wall. Tiydus was feeling really dizzy, and his world was starting to spin. He tried to say something, but the words out of this mouth seemed to only be a mumble of noise. Remus hovered over him, his flame-orange hair a startling contrast to his vision which was becoming increasingly hazy and beginning to fade.
"That's going to have to come out," he heard Remus say as if he were somewhere far away. He had been well on his way to blacking out before, but his whole body was suddenly wracked with pain so severe he almost fainted from the pain. Tiydus felt himself give a pained shout, more than heard it. The next minute, something bitter went down his throat.
What was hazy came back into focus and Tiydus turned to watch as the wound in his shoulder crusted up. The pain was also gone, at least for now. Tiydus could see that Remus was holding an empty glass vial which he recognized to be a healing potion.
"Don't scare me like that," Remus insisted seriously, but the grave look was soon replaced by a relieved grin as he offered Tiydus a hand back onto his feet.
"Thanks, Remus," Tiydus assured. "I'm fine now."
"Good, now you can give me a hand with this. I did some thieving of my own," Remus said with a smile as he twirled a ring of keys on his finger. "Some of the knights already went upstairs to free the people, we've got the keys to every cell in the first tower on the seventh floor," he informed.
Tiydus nodded. "Good work."
On the way up to the seventh floor Tiydus told Remus all he had discovered. When he was finished, Remus' joy that he had held only a moment ago was gone entirely. His face was serious and full of concern, as was Tiydus' heart.
"This king wants our mother? He took her Kazas?" Remus reiterated slowly.
Tiydus nodded. "Or so he said. The Black Castle won't be easy to enter. You know the rumors of what happened after the war. King Albert said that a small faction of the people refused to rejoin the kingdom of Serdio, despite the fact that Emperor Doel was dead and the army was defeated. Being the good guy he is, King Albert let them keep the city as a separate entity, though it still exists within the country, rather than suffering another conflict that could lead to another war. The place is a haven for all sorts of criminals and since King Albert has no control over it and it is on the coast, I can see why this King would make use of it. If we want to take mom back, we're going to need dad with us, he's been there before. According to the bandit Captain, we might be able to find dad if we find that 'wildman' that he spoke of," Tiydus affirmed.
"He lives on the plains? My guess is that he meant the prairie. Since he didn't say exactly where, we'll likely have to search the whole place inch by inch," Remus said with a sigh.
"What if dad shows up here looking for mom?" Tiydus asked as the thought occurred to him.
"If he hasn't come by now, he's not coming. You know dad, when he decides something, he does it right away," Remus assured as they found their floor via the stairs.
For the moment, the brothers put their discussion aside as they split up the keys evenly between them and set to work freeing prisoners. Tiydus was met with many grateful faces, teary eyes, and shouts of gratitude as he unlocked cell doors and instructed the refugees to go down the stairs to the waiting knights that would take them to safety. Tiydus sighed as thankful prisoners grabbed hold of his arms and wrists in an attempt to convey their gratitude. Tiydus felt his stress and anger die away as he looked at the faces around him. At the very least, he and Remus had done some good here today and that made all the difference to him.